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Vol. 71/No. 21      May 28, 2007

 
Crisis deepens for Pakistani gov't
as opposition calls mass strike
(front page)
 
BY RÓGER CALERO  
May 15—A nationwide strike in Pakistan yesterday shut down the southern port city of Karachi and affected other parts of the country. Opposition parties called the strike to protest violent attacks over the weekend by pro-government forces, during which at least 39 people were killed and more than 100 wounded.

The events deepened the political crisis gripping the regime of President Pervez Musharraf, one of Washington's allies in the region.

On Sunday, government-authorized thugs reportedly attacked people who have been conducting regular street protests over the March 9 dismissal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Musharraf suspended the head of the country's Supreme Court after charging him with "abuse of power." Chaudhry had begun investigating cases of "forced disappearances" of hundreds of people in Pakistan held by government agents. He had also questioned the legality of Musharraf's pursuit of another presidential term while he remains army chief.

Gun battles broke out as Chaudhry arrived in Karachi to participate in what opposition parties hoped would be the largest of a series of demonstrations to protest his suspension. Thugs of the pro-government Mutahida Qami Movement attacked Chaudhry's supporters with batons and gunfire as they attempted to greet the judge at the airport, reported London's Observer.

Prior to the Karachi rally, government agents arrested hundreds of opposition activists and deployed more than 15,000 security personnel. Authorities banned gatherings of more than five people in Karachi, and gave the paramilitary border police, the Pakistan Rangers, a shoot-at-sight order.

Chaudhry's defiance of the president has found a hearing among middle-class layers discontented with the government. At the same time, the government has come under increasing pressure by Washington to crack down on al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other Islamist forces. The crisis coincides with the run-up to a presidential election set for this fall, and an anticipated attempt by Musharraf to secure another term. The general took power in 1999 through a military coup.

"The government is losing control over Pakistan, which is so obvious, and it is very dangerous," Talat Masood, a retired general, told London's Financial Times.  
 
 
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